Need some support right now...

[Yoongigirl]

I have this minor pain for awhile now. Trying to hold out till January when I can start some insurance. But my anxiety knocks me down every day. I went to urgent care and he gave me some medicine to calm me. But my pharmacist told me it's habit forming. So now I'm scared to take it. Anyway. I've never experienced anything like this before. The anxiety is so strong. I don't know what the pain is and I've been doing my best to not Google stuff. But I'm scared to take ibuprofen for the pain, just in case it's my colon. Then I'm scared of what I eat for fear of it making me sick. So then my anxiety is triggering bowel issues. Or it is my bowels that are causing the pain. I don't know. That is when the viscous cycle starts again. I am trying to be strong but I feel like the anxiety is winning. Just 2 more months I tell myself. But it's so far away.

[Meganlaroo]

Sounds like it could be IBS. Stress and anxiety are the main contributors. It's a vicious circle, but can be controlled with diet and CBT therapy. You can google IBS and FODMAP diet, which is what a dietician would have you try. Also there are plenty guided meditations on YouTube for IBS.

You can try these until you can get to a doctor to rule out other causes. I've struggled with it for 4 years. Meditation and diet have helped a lot. Good luck!

[Yoongigirl in reply to Meganlaroo]

I know you aren't a doctor but can I ask you something? Since you've been diagnosed with IBS. It doesn't hurt me to poop. There is no pain when I go or after I go. What were your symptoms when told you had IBS? If you don't want to mention it here, you can chat with me or however it works on this site. I am just looking for a few answers. I live with my mom and she said we are going to the Urgent care clinic up the street Monday. So hopefully he can give me some answers or point me in the right direction. Thank you so much for replying to my initial post.

[Meganlaroo in reply to Yoongigirl]

I don't have pain with bowel movements either. The problem with IBS is that your stomach and bowels are usually completely healthy. The pain and bloating you get are from nerve receptors in your gut telling your brain that something is off and the brain causes you to have pain, gas, bloating, nausea etc. It sounds weird but makes sense, after they do all the testing and everything is healthy, except your anxiety. If there is a physical reason for your pain, like chronic disease or colitis, you would be diagnosed with IBD which is Irritable bowel disease, not syndrome. I hope this makes sense to you. Are you in the US? I am. My doctor has prescribed alprazalom for my stress. It is addictive but you may want to try it on a short term basis to try to get your stress under control. There are other drugs that they can give you too.I wish you luck with your doctor and recovery. Just breathe...

[Yoongigirl in reply to Meganlaroo]

Thank you so much for explaining that. Google just freaks me out more and the cycle continues. Also, does the syndrome mean that it can go away when the anxiety goes away? I'm going to the urgent clinic Monday and talk to a doctor. Hopefully he'll set me down a path to get this dealt with. I am also perimenopausal so my anxiety and hormones are going crazy. Thank you again. It clears some things up for me.

[Relaxdude]

sorry to read this. Never a good place. Have you tried your Doctor. Also plain paracetamol I’ve stayed off Ibuprofen because of blood pressure meds. Paracetamol is working for me. Also….. I you can. Try and think of all the positive things each day, anything, even small and minor. It does help in lifting moods.

[Jameshuh]

Hi sorry to hear you are in such anxiety it is miserable as someone with both anxiety and colitis I deeply sympathise with what you are going through.

Here are some things to try that might help:

-Online therapy betterhelp.com

-Try a naturopath (if there is one local) they have natural anti-anxiety meds

-Sunlight exposure

-A thirty minute walk (helps with the gut and the mind)

- Green tea 2 cups have a calming effect

-The medication you have been given might be ok as long as it is short term or done under supervision?

-Anything you can do to help your anxiety will also help your gut

-Paige Pradko's channel youtube.com/@PaigePradkoThe...

-There is a colitis support page on Health Unlocked you might get some good local suggestions if you post there. I am not in the US

Have you done a calproc test? It is hard to give specific recommendations until you know what is going on. I'm sure you will be fine either way but anxiety is no fun and there are definitely things that can help you. Wishing you peace and health.

[Mamamichl]

try aroma therapy. Lavender and peppermint. The peppermint may help with bowels too. May I ask what the medication is? I can let you know if I’ve had experience with it and what the side effects of coming off were for me. Maybe ask the doc office for a different medication. I have had good experiences with citalopram and escitalopram for my anxieties. Look up DBT strategies like TIPP and access. Meditation and box breathing help (good time to use aroma therapy). Zen hugs. I’ve been there several times. Even had to go to psych ward.

[Yoongigirl in reply to Mamamichl]

The doctor put me on alprazolam. My pharmacist who is an amazing guy specifically told me it's habit forming so only take it necessary.

[Mamamichl in reply to Yoongigirl]

ok. That’s… Xanax. It is going to suppress your emotions. You may feel like a zombie. It also may relax your muscles, and yes, it can be addictive. If you’re concerned of that, the internet says it can be “substituted with a faster taper of a longer-acting benzodiazepine such as clonazepam, using clonidine and/or carbamazepine augmentation”

Basically any anxiety med that you take at the onset of an anxiety episode is addictive. I take buspirone (aka BuSpar, Buspirex, Bustab, LinBuspirone). It is not addictive as I take it 2-3 times a day to keep from having anxiety symptoms. It seems to help better. For a while I took trintellix but it was hard coming off of it because of the addictive aspect. I was getting big headaches and quite irritable.

I would ask your doc office to offer a different med that’s not addictive if you have addiction run in your family or have been an addict yourself.